With or Whitout You
by Ella Weston
Summary: Rose want her life to change and with a help of her friend moves to Charming to start over, she have always being proud of being independient and when fates introduce her into someone who makes her feel safe she needs to deal with the idea of being protected.
1. Chapter 1

Downtown Portland there was her favorite Irish pub, full folk rock music and black beer, she didn't felt at home because she would not know how to feel at home, but it helped her to remember better times. She was going to meet Hannah Winston later, a girl she had met in her short time in Berkeley and with had formed a deep bond of friendship. She had ordered a beer while waited for her friend and as she didn't allow much time to enjoy herself like that she decided to take her time to taste the sweet beer she just bought, yet it was so good that she ended up drinking it very quick.

Next to her a man wearing a leather jacket and two long scars on his face sat, she watched him for a moment and him reminded her of a boy whom she had met several years before and just smiled when the man returned his face to watch her.

- Now you go along with that - he said in an accent that confuse her a little - let me buy you another one .

- No I'm okay, my friend is just around the corner - or at least she hoped - I do not want to waste your time.

Hannah arrived apologizing for the delay as they moved to a table and she saw the man in the bar passing next to them. Her friend had always been a sort of comfort for her as it was one of the few people who have made her feel normal or at least of those who knew her in depth. Hannah was from a small town in California lived there ever before and since Berkeley, now she was the head of her family's diner making a good use of her management degree.

- This morning I saw Christopher coming out of my building, I can't know for sure if I am the reason of his presence but I have the feeling that I don't want to know.

- You cannot keep running away from it, one day he will find you and then you will have to listen, I know you don't want to, but that have to happen.

- What I need is to be in a quiet place where I don't have to be watching my back all the time.

- If you want a small and predictable place you should move to Charming, there does not reach many new people and you'll feel at home.

It was a tempting option, Christopher had not been the only one of his acquaintances who she had avoided in Portland, but was the only one about who she had told to Hanna. She changed her mind very easily, was cowardly enough to make decisions such and always left to chance to give her a signal that the push her in the direction she needed, she knew she needed something that would make her feel safe going there.

After a while a couple of men approached the girls and offered to buy them a round, both Hannah as she was quite beautiful women, both in their own kind and being in another situation both would have loved to flirt and end the night with some good sex, but that was not the time, she did not feel that way that night and the alcohol alone had put more melancholy, she used to be very cheerful and a little crazy drunk, but this was not the time, so she left Hannah with the boys and left to the parking lot to have a smoke.

She was so drunken that had trouble lightning it on when a man approached, wearing stylish clothes she thought she could just ignore him away, however it did not work, he grabbed her by the waist and then she pushed him without expecting that the drink had made her lose her balance and fell on the floor backwards. The man came to lift her but she saw the guy she'd met at the bar come close and telling him to leave, the man in the fancy clothing responded with an insult that was matched with a fist in his face, he would strike back but stopped when he saw the handgun the other guy carried in his belt.

- Are you okay? - He asked as he helped her stand.

- It's nothing, took me by surprise - the drinks came down fast and now she was angry with herself for the way she reacted.

-You should not be on your own if you have drinks on, you know what happens.

- I never had that happened - told without realizing that she was raising her voice - I'm sorry , you just were helping, I should not have yelled.

The subject helped to light a cigarette for her and lit one for him, then both went to the main street for her to wait a taxi, were silent as the cigarette were finished and then Hannah came a lot more drunk than both of them.

- Oh, hello Chibs, not expect to see you here - said giving him a hug - I see you already know Rose, I hope she come with me to Charming, Rose is my friend ... Chibs I don't remember your name.

- Filip.

- Oh yes, Filip, but to me you're Chibs.

The taxi had arrived and Rose helped Hannah get in as it was a bit complicated to do it at her own, she head back to where it was Chibs and thanked him accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. Rose expected to find the signal and to feel safe on her own and not through another person, but it seems that fate had done more than expected to leave her signal in the hands of a person who lived in the same town as her friend. She had made a decision, would move to Charming.


	2. Chapter 2

Her life changed completely when she moved from Portland to Charming, in the city she rarely left her condo, but on the small town Hannah had offered her a job as a waitress in Freeman 's Diner. Her head was a mess when she lost herself thinking about what happened that night, the mysterious man she had met had made her feel like no other and she thought that kind of resolutions happened only after sex. It had been a few weeks since she had arrived and not even once she had meet him in the street, although she hoped she could see him sometimes and greet him and as someone known. She was in the middle of that thought while cleaning a table when she saw him entering as part of a group of bikers.

He had come for a friendly chat with some bald tattooed guy who did not seem very happy to meet that group of men. Rose was dedicated to do her job and take orders from a table that was full of teenagers making a bad attempt to flirt with her, for a moment she looked direct to the group of bikers who were standing on the other side of the restaurant, and met the gaze of the Chibs greeted with a gesture, suddenly the other men looked at her and she continued her task orders leading to the kitchen.

- You look like you've seen a ghost girl – said Lauren the cook that took her orders - those teens don't bite, they are just foolish children, who you must be careful is with those Crows .

- What crows?

- Crows, Sons of Anarchy, who walk through this town as if they own it, do not let yourself be charmed by their fancy bikes and that attitude of bad guys, it would be a shame to see such a pretty face become just another one of their girls, you've got to aspire for more in life.

It was clear for her in that point of her life that she did wanted something else than what she have got, than running away from town to town and it may be true, a biker's life wasn't something easy but from all the people in the world she felt most of the time as not the right person to judge. When the Sons finished their inquiring about the poor fellow who had been like a scolded dog they went to greet Hannah, all of them gave Rose a look from head to toe in their way out and got on their motorcycles, all but Chibs who came to greet her.

- This darling is far from home; if some drunken guys from Portland scared you I cannot imagine what this place is going to do to you - said while she was wiping a table.

- You have no idea how far am I, but from all the reasons I had to leave that is not even close - She stopped what she was doing to address to him - anyway, I'm not as far as you, I see the whole outlaw outfit combines perfectly with the Harley outside, however the MC was something I did not expect.

-Wear these patches is a reason to be proud...

- Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to judge, believe me, but to be honest with you it looks pretty sexy - That was not the answer he was expecting, he was about to answer when another man came to interrupt.

- Clay says we have to go back to the clubhouse, but before you are not going to introduce me? - He said talking about to Rose.

- Tig, Rose - said a little uncomfortable, most of the time talking to women Tig threw some comment too disturbing even for him. Both men said goodbye to Rose with a gesture and left towards the main street.

- Oh brother, I'm so sorry; she looked like a nice piece of ass.

- Did you like what you saw? - Without waiting for an answer he turned his bike and both left the place loudly.

At that point Rose did not know what to think, the man who made her feel safe had reason to instill fear, that thought amused her for an instant, but then all that was left was the black hole of things not said and she warned herself that there was more somewhere buried deep down, the need to know him seemed genuine and a scared her a little because for the first time in a long time it wasn't about one of her work fellows or one of her tracing jobs, this time it was her real life and a real person, for the first time since her mother died fourteen years ago, the feeling that her life seemed to take a normal course invaded her, but she knew she should not get excited about it, soon enough something was going to happen and the less she hoped the less she lose.

- Is someone special? - Bobby asked Chibs when he saw his brother working at one of the trucks in the workshop .

- Who? Is this about Hannah's friend?

- Yes, delicious legs - Chibs left his tools aside and looked at him feeling amused with "delicious legs" - is new in town and she shouldn't have meet many people yet, you should invite her to the club house tonight, god knows we lack girls like her.

He considered it for a moment, she was young and new in Charming, and the idea of being a Crow-eater may be something attractive to some women but he changed his mind quickly. He had a feeling he wouldn't like to see her in that situation, she was someone worth of other kind of attentions, however he knew nothing about her other than she was a friend of Hannah and worked in the diner. At night at home, he realized that the box of condoms he had bought a month ago was almost empty and he needed to get more.

Undoubtedly one of the things that Rose was having trouble about moving to Charming was the heat, it was just May and she knew it would only get worse. On her way home she had decided to stop at the convenience store to buy some of the things she needed, almost had everything out of the boxes and the house she had rented was beginning to take shape to be liveable. When selecting apples she found herself thinking about the possibility of staying in Charming for a long time and suddenly the image of Chibs jumped to her mind in what could prove to be a determinant of her happiness, such was her confusion than the fact that he bumped into her as he walked to the cash register scare her to the point she shuddered and let her apples fall from her hands.

- Oh sorry – she said being aware of how red should have her face look like and then she went to her knees to pick up her mess - I have a bad habit of walking without noticing if someone pass me, one of these days I am going to get killed - He just looked at her and then she realized how awkward the situation was, what was she thinking letting herself go with such a thoughts? How foolish of her, as far as she know she must be for him just another silly girl too proud and drunk to be thankful to be saved.

- No worries, let me help you with that - he said as he helped with an apple that had rolled further - at least it was not me who threw the goods - he pointed the whiskey bottles he was carrying – There are no parties in Charming like those that we throw, since you moved to this place you should see it for yourself – He didn't know where that have come from, it may not be such a good idea but maybe being asked for a dinner and a movie could be going too far for her.

- Hannah told me you're a mechanic at Teller-Morrow - she said as he carry her bags to her car.

- That's where the party is tonight, do you have any problems with your car?

- No, it's perfect, but I have a problem in my house, the garbage disposal is giving me a lot of troubles and in my many attempts to fix it I am sure I'm going to end up losing a finger, maybe you know someone who can help me.

- I can do that, your fingers are too beautiful to be left to the crusher.

- Great, give me your phone and I will send you a message with the address of my house, those things are supposed to be important for most people but I have almost never being able to remember my addresses.

- Tomorrow I have to work early, but I'll call you to confirm you.

Rose was convinced that she should stop imagining things, her mind fluctuated between a romantic comedy and a porn movie but she well knew that if there was a genre of films that describe her life would not be either of those, she was wondering when the blood, the corpses and intrigue would come. Furthermore Chibs was even more confused than her, but the thought of the porn movie had also crossed his mind, he did not understood why she didn't accepted his invitation to the club house to invite him to her house, maybe the only thing she did need was someone to fix her garbage disposal.

That night he got some entertaining with the girls that were available to the club while alarmed by the amount of energy he spent waiting for the text she was going to send to him. He had one of the Crow-eaters in his knees and when he was just going to play with her boobs he felt the vibration of his phone, he got up to see the address and followed the night drinking with his brothers and going to bed alone.


	3. Chapter 3

People used to be kind without expecting something in return, do something nice for a stranger can bring good fortune or satisfaction, but do something good for a new acquaintance can lead to better understanding of people. Rose didn't work in Monday mornings so she spent that time in her home doing little research for her friend Professor Bishop, who work as a consultant for trackers in the whole country.

She was reading and taking notes on her laptop, with a gray T-shirt and shorts that barely covered her buttocks, barefoot and braided hair, she knew Chibs would come to her place anytime in the morning and at least had taken a shower, while she was deeply engrossed trying to decipher a path for some missing people she heard the engine outside her home.

- Want something to drink? - Asked as she watched him work from the kitchen ba .

- beer would be nice.

He rose from the floor and start with his beer as he observed the notes she had taken and spread in her living room, that kind of work seemed worthy of a detective and asked her if she worked with the FBI.

- Not at all - smiled discreetly – Before being kicked out of Berkeley I had a job as a research assistant for Professor Bishop, a few years ago I found him in one of my trips to San Francisco and ask me to work with him again, this is just a little job for someone missing some years ago.

- If you have a job like that why are you a waitress?

- Because I cannot be home all day, every day. I know myself and I would stay here until I had finished with seasonings and had nothing else to eat, I need to have a reason to leave.

- Friends, maybe?

- Hannah has been the best one to offer me the job, she knew I needed it.

- Most people talk about money, and how good is to meet other people.

- I don't like other people and the money always comes and goes, has never been a priority for me. It's uncomfortable, but I must ask - that moment he was waiting for some time, always came to a point when people asked him about his scars, but it was customary as he bear it on his face every day - what part of Ireland are you?

- I lived in Bealfast for a long time, but I'm not Irish, I'm from Scotland - It was not the question he expected - it's weird , people often say the first time I'm Scottish .

- Sorry, I should have asked that first, but you see, your accent is quite confusing, but many of the words you say are Irish.

- Do you know many Irish sweet?

- A few, I lived with an Irish family for a while, hearing them discuss while being drunk was the most fun.

- You accent is also quite confusing too; you're not from Portland aren't you?

- No, I lived there for a while, but I was born in Boston.

She left him in his task and took one of the notebooks and went back to work, she was working so hard to connect the dots and decrypt a missing lead that she didn't realized that he was watching her from the kitchen counter.

- I thought you would ask me my scars, you've been watching them every time we meet, it does not bother me but it's not as if you looked at my tits.

- I'm sorry, the least I want was to be this rude but ... - She did not know whether to continue but feared it was too late - you see, I had a friend many years ago who had the same scars as you, I never dared to ask him about it, but then one night I was very nervous and I told him accidentally I liked his Joker scars, the last thing he told me was that the next time I meet someone with the same I should never said that again, you are the first one I know.

- These scars are not a joker smile, but if your friend had them had to know it was a very common assumption, why did you say that it was the last thing he had said? Did he ditch you for saying that?

- No - she said with a smile - he died that night.

- I'm so sorry, but if he was the same as me, life shouldn't have been very easy to him, you see, this are called the "Glasgow grin" and not any person find himself in that situation, very cruel people make them for terrible things you've done or they assume you've done.

- And what did you do - asked as she pulled another beer from the fridge - Nothing legal, I assume .

- It goes beyond that, it's a matter of honor and one of the memories that I have of everything they took away from me – she was greeted with empty eyes - not a nice story but maybe someday I will tell you.

- Filip, I'm so sorry - that was the first time she said his name and it hurt to see the sadness in her eyes as she did so – I was hoping it was nothing serious, some bar fight or something like that, but I think I made you tell me what you didn't want.

- You didn't know and that's why you asked, I have no intention to hide a truth that is in my face every day and I have come to be direct about it, I show my burden when people look at me, but sometimes the burdens that no one can see hurt even more because they are harder to share - then something was revealed in Rose's face, a sense of sadness and concern that was shared with Chibs and in an instant a chilling cold filled him as warning that something was wrong there was something else below the fresh fitness of the young girl.

- Those burdens that go under the skin and rob us our sleep and the desire to eat - she said bringing her hand to his arm - but when we decide with whom we share it, whether visible or not, are a big risk because you never know if it's something that can save us or finish us.

They shared a smile and turned to play more friendly subjects anytime they chat again, what had been a surprise to both parties, apparently she was not a dumb girl who said the first thing that came into her head, it was obviously for him she had some issues and for her there was no doubt he was not just another thug of a MC. She had been in more solitary places with more dangerous men but the situation was more strange to him than to her, women from Charming and many other places did not invite strangers into their homes and stayed chatting with them while drinking beer in the kitchen, there was something peculiar about the way she spoke, the things she said, as if she had led a life of adventure and risk that somehow would turn her into a much older version of the girl she looked.

- What was it that you changed a city like Portland for a town like Charming?

- Somehow I have come to feel more comfortable here in the short time I have been than in the whole time I spent over there, but if you ask me the reason why this specific place Hannah is the person responsible for that.

- You were with her when I met you, I met her after you left, she is a very nice girl. How did you get to know her?

- She studied at Berkeley, her dad wanted someone to take charge of the place and little good Hannah was responsible enough to finish her studies, I was very lucky to have her as my roommate for over a year, why connected because we were somehow the outcast, apparently other girls didn't like Hannah's plunging necklines and passion for boxing and guns, on the other hand I did not have the necessary social conventions to please them.

- I knew that Hannah liked boxing, she always goes to the fights we organize, if you like it too you should go to our gig this Saturday, nothing fancy but you can have fun.

- Underground fights are always the best - she said as both of them went to the door.

- Will you stay in Charming for a while?

- I wish I could stay, but still don't know, whenever I make plans things came out very different, I would say that I will not have to go, but I do not know.

- It's time for me to leave, I will leave you with your business.

- How much do I owe you?

- I'm sure I drank anything that could be charged - he said as he closed her wallet in her hands - anyway I know what it means to be a stranger in a small town, consider it a welcome gift for your friend the Scots man.


End file.
